Partitions

ABSTRACT

A building panel for a walling or partitioning system, the panel comprising a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acoustically insulating material adhering to the sheet; and metal strips which additionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edges of the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends, the edges of the panel defining looped sprung sections for engaging adjacent members of the system.

mite States Patent 11 1 1 11 3,7514% Young Sept. 11, 1973 I 1 PARTITIONS2,822,898 2/1958 Richards 52 464 x 3,320,710 5 1967 Byssing ,.52 241x[75] lnvemor- Charles Trev" Ymmg 2,739,677 3 1956 Greulich 52/615 xDagenhamrEflglafld 3,034,609 5 1962 Young ..52/241 3,406,491 10/1968Harding... 52 5s4x [73] Asslgnee' Redpath Donna Long 3,535,342 10/1970Karn 52 241 London, England 22] Filed: Nov.8, 1971 Primary ExaminerPriceC. Faw, Jr. Attorney-Bacon & Thomas [30] Foreign Application PriorityData 5 ABSTRACT Nov. 12, 1970 Great Britain 53,952/70 A bu1ld1ng panelfor a walling or partmomng system, [52] Cl H 52/24l 52/285 52/464 thepanel comprising a metal sheet, a board of theru 52/48 mally andacoustically insulating material adhering to [5 H Int. Cl I A I i E0)2/28 the sheet; and metal strips which additionally support [58] Field 0Search 285 275 the board, the strips being secured along the edges ofthe sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends, theedges of the panel defining looped [56} References Cited sprung sectionsfor engaging adjacent members of the UNITED STATES PATENTS system3,420,029 1/1969 Martin 52/584 X 8 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 7 2 72F?Xxy /2 74 14 73- PATENTED SEP1 1 I973 SHEET 3 OF 4 30 31 FIG. 4. 3

PARTITIONS This invention relates to building panels and moreparticularly relates to panels which may be used, for example inpartitions, such as composite metallic partition walls used for schools,offices, etc.

In one aspect of the invention there is provided a building panel for awalling or partitioning system, the panel comprising a metal sheet; aboard of thermally and acoustically insulating material adhering to thesheet; and metal strips which additionally support the board, the stripsbeing secured along the edges of the sheet adjacent the ends of theboard and overlapping said ends, the edges of the panel defining loopedsprung sections for engaging adjacent members of the system.

The looped sprung sections may be defined by the metal strips.

The edges of the metal sheet may be rearwardly displaced and defineflanges which are disposed within the loops of the looped sprungsections.

The metal strips may be crimped around the flanges.

Preferably the board is plasterboard.

The building panels may form part of a walling or partitioning systemincluding upper and lower track members adapted to locate and supportthe building panels side by side, connectors for connecting neighbouringbuilding panels together and joint cover strips for covering theconnections between neighbouring building panels, the joint cover stripscomprising means to engage adjacent looped sprung sections of theneighbouring panels.

There may be abutment columns adapted to be fixed to an existing wall orstanchion, each column having a cavity adapted to receive a loopedspring section of a building panel, the cavity being positioned so thata face of the column then is aligned with the front surface of thepanel.

The abutment columns each may be constituted by a metal skin formedaround a supporting post.

The upper and lower track members may be adapted to locate and supporttwo spaced apart parallel sets of building panels in back-to-backrelationship.

There may be a plurality of bracing members each adapted to be insertedbetween the board and a said metal strip of a building panel of one setand to extend across the space between the sets of building panels intocontact with a panel of the other set.

Alternatively or in addition there may be a plurality of bracing memberseach adapted to engage with a said connector of one set of buildingpanels and to extend across the space between the sets of buildingpanels into engagement with a said connector of the other set ofbuilding panels.

Corners may be formed by folding" the panel with the backing board beingconstituted in, e.g., two parts, one for each side of the corner.Internal corners may alternatively be constructed by locating two of theaforesaid abutment columns diagonally adjacent one another with theiradjacent corners in mutual contact, the two columns each being securedto a rectangular supporting post, e.g., a wooden post, lying in contactwith them internally of the corner.

Exposed ends of a wall or partition may be terminated by a stop endcomprising a metal strip having a backing member to which a channelledsheet section is secured, the configuration of the-backing member andthe sheet section being such as to accommodate the edges of the exposedend panels securely between them. Again, this backing member may be madefrom wood.

The upper and lower tracks may comprise U-section members to which outerchannel sections are secured, supporting shoulders being provided in thechannel section of the lower track for supporting the two sets ofpanels.

The supporting shoulders may be strips of wood.

Further boards of thermally and acoustically insulat ing material may beprovided, the upper and lower tracks being adapted to locate and supportthe further boards between the two sets of panels.

An assembled partition or wall comprising two sets of panels mayaccommodate services such as water and electricity within the spacebetween the sets of panels. The thickness of the wall or partition isdetermined by the width of the central U-shaped portion of the tracks.

In order that the invention may be fully understood one embodimentthereof will now be described, by way of example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional plan view through part ofa partition embodyingbuilding panels in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along Il-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a panel-to-panel connector;

FIG. 4 is a sectional plan view through an exposed end termination ofthe partition; and

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the acoustic properties of the partition.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 3, a double skinned partition is shownoutstanding from a wall 1 and comprising a variety of differentcomponents, namely, abutment columns 2, plain rectangular buildingpanels 3, a folded external corner panel 4, joint cover strips 5 and aninternal corner embodying two abutment columns.

All these components are mounted between upper and lower tracks 6, 7each comprising outer sections 8, 9 to which a central U-shaped section10 is secured by snap fixing. The" lower track additionally embodieswooden strips 11 which lie in the outer sections and provide supportingshoulders for the components referred to, these components beingfrictionally supported at the top in the outer section of the uppertrack 6.

In a typical arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1, the lower track 7 islaid out on the floor of a building and mitred at the corners on theouter track section whilst the inner section is terminated by a woodenpost 28. The track is then pinned or screwed to the floor and a similaroperation is performed on the top track secured to the ceiling.

Two of the abutment columns 2 stand upright on the shoulders of thetrack 7 formed by the wooden strips and are secured to a wall 1 of thebuilding whilst being urged against the vertically aligned centralsections of both the upper and lower tracks. These columns compriserectangular-section wooden posts 12 around which a metal skin 13 isformed, the inner sides of the skin being spaced from the post so as todefine a cavity 14.

Mounted adjacent to, and locked in contact with, these two columns aretwo of the building panels 3. Each panel comprises a roll-formed metalsheet 15 on to which a plasterboard backing panel 16 has been adhered,e.g., by a polyvinyl acetate or like resinous glue. Additional supportfor the panel is provided by two metal strips 17 which are roll-formedsections providing in addition, stiffening for flanged edges 17a of thesheet; these sections are crimped tightly around the flanged edges in acontinuous roll-forming operation and define, at their ends, a loopedsprung section 18. The flanged edges 17a are rearwardly displaced fromthe front surface of the panel to accommodate a joint cover strip(discussed later).

As shown, the crimped edge or flange 17a of the building panel is pushfitted into the cavity 14 in each of the two columns and the two panelsrest on the shoulders on the lower tracks in the same manner as thecolumns. The cavity 14 is positioned so that the exposed surfaces of theabutment columns and the panels 3 are coplanar.

For purposes of simplicity only one such building panel has been shownon each side of the partition, but it will be appreciated that two setsare provided in back-to back relationship.

The corner panel 4 is erected on the outer side of the partition, againresting on the shoulder of the lower track. The corner panel isessentially the same as the plain building panels 3 except that it hasbeen bent at right-angles and the plasterboard backing is in twoportions 19, 20.

Neighbouring panels 3 (or 3 and 4) are connected together by a number ofsmall flanged connector plates 21 (FIG. 3) which engage around theadjacent side edge flanges 17a of the panels. Each plate 21 has a tongue22 which enters between the flanges 17a to maintain the panels 3 apredetermined distance apart. The connector plate is clamped around theflanges 17a by means of a clamping plate 22a which is disposed againstthe front faces of the flanges 17a and secured to the connector plate 21by a screw 22b. Each plate 21 has a dishing 23 at its top edge forstiffening and also to provide a recess for accommodating an end of aninverted U-shaped bracing piece (not shown). These bracing pieces (whichare optional) extend between the sets of panels 3, and theirdownwardly-depending ends are received by aligned clamping plates 21 ofeach set of panels 3.

Alternative or additional bracing may be provided between the sets ofpanels3 by bracing members 24 (FIG. 1 Each bracing member 24 is insertedbetween the plasterboard l6 and the metal strip 17 of a building panel 3and extends across the space between the sets of panels 3 into contactwith a building panel 3 of the other set. A foot 24a is provided toprevent the bracing member digging into the plasterboard, and a clip 24bis provided at the other end of the bracing member to ensure secureengagement with the strip 17. The bracing member is omitted from FIG. 2for clarity.

Clipped over each joint between neighbouring panels so as to conceal itand present a planar wall surface with the panels is a cover strip 25which has sprung sides 26 to mate with the corresponding looped sprungsections 18 of the adjacent panels. These cover strips are of the sameheight as the panels and like the latter are backed by a plasterboardstrip 27.

On the inner side of the partition an internal comer is formedconsisting of two standard abutment columns 2 as already described whichare diagonally mounted in respect with one another on the shoulders ofthe lower tracks 7 with their adjacent corners in mutual contact.

The rectangular section wooden post 28 nestles against the cornersformed by the central portions of the upper and lower tracks and the endcolumns 2 are secured, e.g., by screws, to this post so as to provide afirm composite structure.

As can be seen from FIG. 2 optional skirting/coving strips 29a 29b aredriven into position along the top and bottom of the partition and areretained by clips 29c 29d. The skirting strips are provided with convexsprung strips 29e which fit inside the outer track channels 8, 9 andpull the skirting strip hard against the panels 3. The coving andskirting strips offer additional cover to the coving and skirting areasto meet a wide range of customer requirements these strips have beenomitted in FIG. 1 for clarity.

As mentioned above the partition is terminated by a specially formedstop end. One such stop end is shown in FIG. 4 and this comprises acomposite wooden backing board including an elongated panel 30 to whichare secured two rectangular section posts 31. A metal skin 32 is formedaround the outside of the backing board and a channelled steel sheet 33is secured on its inside, this being foreshortened to avoid fouling theshoulders of the track 7.

The strip 33 has inturned flanges 34 along its edges and is spaced atits sides from the wooden sections 3] so as to accommodate the edges ofthe adjacent panels 3, the flanges 34 tending to grip these panels inposition. Sealing gaskets 35 are secured along the edges of the metalskin 32 and abut the panels. Again, the skirting strips have beenomitted for clarity. Exposed corner joints between skirting or covingstrips may be finished off by slipped a plastics moulding over them andmetal fishplates may be located beneath straight-run jointsv Each of theexposed metal sheets or skins may be surfaced with a P.V.C. compositionso as to present a pleasing appearance; plastic coated sheet steel knownunder the British Steel Corporation trademark CO- LOURCOAT isparticularly suitable for this purpose.

All the metal components may be roll-formed and they may be coated witha protective coloured plastic so as to present a pleasing appearance onexternal faces after assembly, other internal sections being protectedby, e.g., galvanizing.

The component design is such that all the metal surfaces are backed byan insulating body so that a high level of sound insulation ismaintained. Furthermore, the plaster-board backing on the panels and thecover strips is fire resistant which is of particular significance inproviding an adequate safety factor in regard to fire hazards. Inaddition, all the components mentioned are reversible end-to-end therebyeliminating handling and facilitating assembly, and once erected theymay easily be de-mounted and re-arranged.

The dimensions of all these components may be metricated" and the panelsmay be constructed in a variety of standard widths so as to suit a widerange of design layouts.

With a typical partition of the type described, i.e., with say a 4 inchwide double skin and one-half inch wide plasterboard backings a soundreduction of about 37 db may be attained across it at a frequency of 500Hz a typical graph of sound reduction index v. frequency for such apartition as shown in FIG. 5. A fire resistance of the order of 30minutes can be obtained under standard test conditions, e.g., B8476Part: I 1959.

Even better sound insulation and fire resistance can be obtained byproviding further plasterboard in the space between the two sets ofpanels 3. This further plasterboard conveniently can be mounted inU-section members welded or spot welded onto the bases of the centralmembers of the upper and lower tracks. If bracing is employed betweenthe sets of panels 3, suitable cut-outs should be provided in thecentral plasterboard lamina.

Although the invention has been described with reference to theparticular embodiment illustrated, it is to be understood that variousmodifications may be made without departing from the scope of thisinvention. For example, the insulating material employed may not beplasterboard and alternatively expanded plastics compositions couldreadily be used. Further, the various timber sections shown could bereplaced by other members, e.g., extruded or rolled metal or plasticssections. Moreover, the spacing between the partition skins may readilybe enlarged by arranging for the top and bottom tracks to be constructedin such a manner that each side of the track is defined by the outersection shown, together with an associated U-section and utilising atrough-shaped bridging strip of any convenient width having snap fixingends to which these new sections are then secured. Clearly, the width ofthe terminal strip will then differ from that shown in the illustratedembodiment.

I claim:

1. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels, theedges of which define looped sprung sections; connectors to connectneighboring building panels together edge-to-edge, each connectorcomprising a member adapted to engage around, adjacent looped sprungsections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also havingmeans adapted to be disposed in between the adjacent looped sprungsections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; and coverstrips to cover the connections be tween neighboring panels, said coverstrips comprising means engageable by the said adjacent looped sprungsections to retain the cover strips in position; and abutment columnsadapted to be fixed to an existing wall or stanchion, each column havinga cavity adapted to receive a looped sprung sction of a building panel,the cavity being positioned so that a face of the column then is alignedwith the front surface of the panel.

2. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each ofwhich comprise a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acousticallyinsulating material adhering to the sheet, and metal strips whichadditionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edgesof the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends,the edges of the panel defining looped sprung sections; connectors toconnect neighboring building panels together, each connector comprisinga flanged member to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections ofneighboring building panels, the connectors each also having a tongueadapted to be disposed between the adjacent looped sprung sections tomaintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover theconnections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprisingmeans to engage the said adjacent looped sprung sections; and at leastone abutment column adapted to be fixed to an existing wall orstanchion, the column having a cavity adapted to receive a looped sprungsection of a building panel, the cavity being positioned so that a faceof the column then is aligned with the front surface of the panel.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the abutment columns each areconstituted by a metal skin formed around a supporting post.

4. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each ofwhich comprise a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acousticallyinsulating material adhering to the sheet, and metal strips whichadditionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edgesof the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends,the edges of the panel defining looped sprung sections; connectors toconnect neighboring building panels together, each connector comprisinga flanged member to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections ofneighboring building panels, the connectors each also having a tongueadapted to be disposed between the adjacent looped sprung sections tomaintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover theconnections between neighboring panels, said cover strip comprisingmeans to engage the said adjacent looped sprung sections; upper andlower track members comprising means to support and locate the buildingpanels backto-back in two parallel spaced apart sets; and a plurality ofbracing members each adapted to be inserted between the board and a saidmetal strip of a building panel of one set and to extend across thespace between the sets of building panels into contact with a panel ofthe other set.

5. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each ofwhich comprise a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acousticallyinsulating material adhering to the sheet, and metal strips whichadditionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edgesof the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends,the edges of the panel defining looped sprung sections; connectors toconnect neighboring building panels together, each connector comprisinga flanged member to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections ofneighboring building panels, the connectors each also having a tongueadapted to be disposed between the adjacent looped sprung sections tomaintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover theconnections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprisingmeans to engage said adjacent looped sprung sections; upper and lowertrack members comprising means to support and locate the building panelsbackto-back in two parallel spaced apart sets; and a stop end forclosing an exposed end of a wall or partition formed of said two sets ofbuilding panels, the stop end comprising a metal strip having a backingmember to which a channeled sheet section is secured, the configurationof the backing member and the sheet section being such as to accommodatethe edges of the exposed end panels between them.

6. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each ofwhich comprises a metal sheet; a board of thermally and acousticallyinsulating material adhering to the sheet; the edges of the metal sheetbeing rearwardly displaced and defining flanges, and metal strips whichadditionally support the board, the strips extending along the flangededges of the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping saidends, the metal strips defining looped sprung sections; connectors toconnect neighboring building panels together edge-to-edge, eachconnector comprising a member adapted to engage around adjacent loopedsprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each alsohaving means adapted to be disposed in between the adjacent loopedsprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; andcover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, saidcover strips comprising means engageable by the said adjacent loopedsprung sections to retain the cover strips in position,

7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the metal strips are crimpedaround the flanges.

8. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels the edgesof which define looped sprung sections; connectors to connectneighboring building panels together edge-to-edge, each connectorcomprising a member adapted to engage around adjacent looped sprungsections of neighboring building panels, the

connectors each also having means adapted to be disposed in between theadjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacingbetween them; cover strips to cover the connections between neighboringpanels, said cover strips comprising means engageable by the saidadjacent looped sprung sections to retain the cover strips in position;upper and lower track members adapted to support and locate saidbuilding panels, the track members comprising means to locate andsupport two spaced apart parallel sets of building panels inback-to-back relationship; and a stop end for closing an exposed end ofa wall or partition formed of said two sets of building panels, the stopend comprising a metal strip having a backing member to which achanneled sheet section is secured, the configuration of the backingmember and the sheet section being such as to accommodate the edges ofthe exposed end panels between them.

1. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels, the edges of which define looped sprung sections; connectors to connect neighboring building panels together edge-to-edge, each connector comprising a member adapted to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also having means adapted to be disposed in between the adjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; and cover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprising means engageable by the said adjacent looped sprung sections to retain the cover strips in position; and abutment columns adapted to be fixed to an existing wall or stanchion, each column having a cavity adapted to receive a looped sprung sction of a building panel, the cavity being positioned so that a face of the column then is aligned with the front surface of the panel.
 2. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each of which comprise a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acoustically insulating material adhering to the sheet, and metal strips which additionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edges of the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends, the edges of the panel defining looped sprung sections; connectors to connect neighboring building panels together, each connector comprising a flanged member to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also having a tongue adapted to be disposed between the adjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprising means to engage the said adjacent looped sprung sections; and at least one abutment column adapted to be fixed to an existing wall or stanchion, the column having a cavity adapted to receive a looped sprung section of a building panel, the cavity being positioned so that a face of the column then is aligned with the front surface of the panel.
 3. A system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the abutment columns each are constituted by a metal skin formed around a supporting post.
 4. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each of which comprise a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acoustically insulating material adhering to the sheet, and metal strips which additionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edges of the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends, the edges of the panel defining looped sprung sections; connectors to connect neighboring building panels together, each connector comprising a flanged member to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also having a tongue adapted to be disposed between the adjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, said cover strip comprising means to engage the said adjacent looped sprung sections; upper and lower track members comprising means to support and locate the building panels back-to-back in two parallel spaced apart sets; and a plurality of bracing members each adapted to be inserted between the board and a said metal strip of a building panel of one set and to extend across the space between the sets of building panels into contact with a panel of the other set.
 5. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each of which comprise a metal sheet, a board of thermally and acoustically insulating material adhering to the sheet, and metal strips which additionally support the board, the strips being secured along the edges of the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends, the edges of the panel defining looPed sprung sections; connectors to connect neighboring building panels together, each connector comprising a flanged member to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also having a tongue adapted to be disposed between the adjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprising means to engage said adjacent looped sprung sections; upper and lower track members comprising means to support and locate the building panels back-to-back in two parallel spaced apart sets; and a stop end for closing an exposed end of a wall or partition formed of said two sets of building panels, the stop end comprising a metal strip having a backing member to which a channeled sheet section is secured, the configuration of the backing member and the sheet section being such as to accommodate the edges of the exposed end panels between them.
 6. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels each of which comprises a metal sheet; a board of thermally and acoustically insulating material adhering to the sheet; the edges of the metal sheet being rearwardly displaced and defining flanges, and metal strips which additionally support the board, the strips extending along the flanged edges of the sheet adjacent the ends of the board and overlapping said ends, the metal strips defining looped sprung sections; connectors to connect neighboring building panels together edge-to-edge, each connector comprising a member adapted to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also having means adapted to be disposed in between the adjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; and cover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprising means engageable by the said adjacent looped sprung sections to retain the cover strips in position.
 7. A system as claimed in claim 6 wherein the metal strips are crimped around the flanges.
 8. A walling or partitioning system including: building panels the edges of which define looped sprung sections; connectors to connect neighboring building panels together edge-to-edge, each connector comprising a member adapted to engage around adjacent looped sprung sections of neighboring building panels, the connectors each also having means adapted to be disposed in between the adjacent looped sprung sections to maintain a predetermined spacing between them; cover strips to cover the connections between neighboring panels, said cover strips comprising means engageable by the said adjacent looped sprung sections to retain the cover strips in position; upper and lower track members adapted to support and locate said building panels, the track members comprising means to locate and support two spaced apart parallel sets of building panels in back-to-back relationship; and a stop end for closing an exposed end of a wall or partition formed of said two sets of building panels, the stop end comprising a metal strip having a backing member to which a channeled sheet section is secured, the configuration of the backing member and the sheet section being such as to accommodate the edges of the exposed end panels between them. 